Greenwich House

Greenwich House was established in 1902 to offer a wide arrangement of services to New Yorkers to enrich and improve their lives. It offers mental health services, ceramic classes, music classes, activities for seniors. In so many ways, it connects with our social justice dreams.

There are programs for children including a nursery school (Barrow Street) and music and art classes. Bama started in the combination music and art class the day before Pickle was born. We had a bumpy start, with some tears (read: hysteria) during music class, a bit of timidity with the art teacher, general freak-outishness. But over the weeks, she's bloomed.

She jumps into music class, dances around, sings, smiles. I wish I had photos of her, but I'm jumping around with her.

Art class. Ah. I love it. We sit near the teacher, Elizabeth (we call our teachers Miss Mimi and Miss Elizabeth). I love picking up art tips from her, like mixing paint and glue so that you can paint on the paper, then immediately glue things to it. She made a snowman for winter, we made a butterfly at home using the same technique.

She's focused on her project, which was glued together the week before. A collection of cardboard cuts, pastas, and wood pegs. We left it to dry, then she painted it this day. I think she's shaking glitter around at this point.

The finished product. It's hard to see the awesomeness that is the pink pom pom atop a thread spool and pasta wheel.

Some kids slather the paint on. Other kids dabble. Bama's more of a deliberate applier. Note, the careful application of paint within the circles and on top of the pasta wheels.

(Note: In the background, I am able to nurse Pickle during class. Booyah.)